Narayan Ravi - Mumbai

Aadi Story

Sri Saradamba reigns supreme at the Dakshinamnaya Sri Sringeri Sarada Peetham, first of the 4 mathas established by Sri Adi Sankara at the 4 corners of India. Sankara was looking for a sacred place to establish a matha when he came upon a snake providing shelter to a pregnant frog, shielding her from the hot sun. No place could have been holier than this one where a snake, an enemy of frogs was providing shelter to one. This was Sringeri on the banks of the Tunga river in Karnataka. Sankara carved a Sri Chakra on a rock and installed a small sandalwood idol of Sarada Devi on it. This idol is now present in the Vidyasankara temple adjacent to the Saradamba temple. The main Saradamba temple has a beautiful panchaloha idol of Saradamba. Sringeri gets its name from Sage Rishyashringa, the famous sage who conducted the Putrakameshti yaga for Raja Dasaratha, as a result of which Rama and His brothers were born. The Rishyashringa temple is located 9 kms away from Sringeri in the beautiful Kigga forests. The Sringeri Sarada Peetham has been blessed with an unbroken line of gurus beginning with Sri Sureshwaracharya (born as Mandana Mishra) , one of Sankara's 4 main disciples. May Saradamba, the manifestation of Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge and arts, bless us all.

Om Shakti